Five weeks in India taught me presence. I’m thankful.
Counseling taught me to breathe deeply. I’m thankful. My friends let me be
myself. I’m thankful.
Seminary and multiple jobs can be an overload. You’ve read
that here before, right? I Sabbath each week…but that’s a learning process and
what I need in addition to Sabbath is a more frequent use of the words “no” and
“I quit”. I’m thankful for the hours and hours and days and days of rest God
granted me this summer in Waco. Rested is not something I have felt since then…at
least not that I can remember.
What I have felt is present, thankful, and able to breathe.
Monday I went on a road trip. Brownwood, Texas. Home of
Underwoods – hot rolls and cobbler. Also home of Howard Payne University which
is where I actually spent the day. My good friend Katy and I drove, caught up
on life deeply, recruited for Truett, sang songs, met new people, and just had
an all around pleasant day.
I like west-ish Texas…it reminds me of family reunions and
long car trips to and from Austin.
Monday night I attended a weekly ritual of homemade food and
story sharing. We celebrated together over the story of the engagement between
two of our friends and heard the highlights of a lifetime from another.
I’m thankful for Monday. I’m thankful for these
relationships that deepen each day and week. I’m thankful for the opportunity
to sit and hear how God is forming my friends and the ways they are forming
others out of their love for God.
I need to say “no” more often. But, sometimes I confuse what I should be
saying no to.
I almost said no to Monday. No to the trip. No to dinner. No
to story time. Papers and tests felt more pressing. More important. But they
aren’t.
I’m thankful for these moments together with the friends I
love because things are about to change. I suppose things are always about to
change, but it feels more pressing right now.
God has overwhelmed me this week. I am overwhelmed with love
and thankfulness that even if just for a season, this is my life.
